NEAR ALTON — A 1-year-old boy died Friday morning after he fell into a septic tank, according to Hidalgo County Sheriff’s investigators.
Emergency responders were called out at about 8:55 a.m. to a home in the 9100 block of Texan Road where they found the infant had fallen into a 1- foot hole leading to a septic tank, according to department spokesman J.P. Rodriguez.
“The mother called because she couldn’t find her child and suspected he had fallen into the opening on the ground,” Rodriguez said. “Investigators said the homeowner was doing repairs or servicing the septic tank.”
The boy was submerged in about 4 feet of liquid when Alton firefighters extracted him through the small opening shortly after they arrived. The unresponsive boy was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead about 10 a.m., Rodriguez said.
The boy’s mother told investigators she was outside with her 20-month-old son and had left him unattended for a short amount of time
“We are asking parents who have young children who are barely starting to walk to keep a close eye on them because they can very quickly wonder off and get into trouble,” Rodriguez said. “There are all kinds of hazards that for us might not be a threat but to a small child can be deadly.”
Texas Child Protective Services were notified of the incident and will conduct their own investigation into the boy’s equivocal death.
